


Hot In Here

by heatgeneratingtechniques, loudspeakr



Series: Based on things they've said [2]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Drunkenness, M/M, Pining, party buses make excellent epiphany facilitators
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 02:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8185330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heatgeneratingtechniques/pseuds/heatgeneratingtechniques, https://archiveofourown.org/users/loudspeakr/pseuds/loudspeakr
Summary: Loud music on a night out with friends and co-workers rekindles some old feelings.





	

**Author's Note:**

> After *those* snapchats yesterday of RandL and the crew going to the pre-Streamys, we felt compelled to draft a response in the form of a fanfic. Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> — Sarah & Ren

“Party bus!”

It hadn’t been Rhett’s first choice, renting out an entire bus to get them to the Streamys. He always kind of saw them as tacky, and the thought of strobing lights coupled with the movement of the bus as it drove was giving him a bit of a headache. But the crew deserved a reward after the hard work they’d put in over the past year, and this had been the most popular option among them.

The space was pretty standard upon first inspection: open with plush seating lining the sides. However, a glint of metal towards the back caught Rhett’s eye. There was a pole in this one. That was unexpected.

Link was excited, though, bouncing on his toes as they waited for the bus driver to get going, giving the pole an amused once-over with Eddie. He seemed happier about this trip than Rhett was.

The rest of the crew piled in behind them, as Rhett sat back and watched with his phone in hand, letting the excitement wash over him. Maybe he was being a little too critical.

 _Another year at the Streamys_ , he thought, smiling to himself.  _This could be fun._

Not wanting to keep this to himself, as per usual, Rhett pulled out his phone and hit the familiar yellow icon. He made sure the lighting was good before recording.

“Okay, we’re headed to the pre-Streamys, because Good Mythical Morning has been nominated for best writing!”

The cabin erupted in a cacophony of cheers – Link’s was especially louder than the rest – as the bus pulled away from the curb.  _With this bunch, of course it would be fun._

 

The ride began comfortably enough, with the group quietly chatting as they tried to guess who might win the other categories tonight. Rhett kept mostly to himself, soaking in the electric atmosphere that was their little team out of the office.

“Song suggestions, guys?” He looked over at Lizzie and noticed the iPod in her hand. Link, beside her, leaned over to look at the tiny screen, his leg still bouncing with anticipation.

“Somethin’ we can  _dance_ to,” he said.

“Put on Gangnam Style!” Chase called out, earning him a collective groan from the group.

“Perfect!” Link’s response earned them more protests, which were quickly drowned out by the pounding beat.

The mood quickly heightened, as a few of the crew took turns dancing to different songs, all of them singing along loudly to songs from the 80s and 90s, as well as some more current numbers. Rhett kept himself busy with his phone, making sure to record the best bits of their trip for the Beasts. He was barely able to stand up straight in here anyway with his towering height. No use trying to dance when he would probably just end up hitting his head on something.

The song switched, something more lively and up-tempo than the last.

“I don’t know what this is, but I like it,” Link was saying. “Makes me wanna... _move_ a little bit.” Rhett turned, finding Link’s face inches from his, the man’s eyes glittering in the lights. “What?”

He met Link’s gaze, grinning. “Don’t get too crazy, man.”

Link’s smile in return was practically cherubic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He was in  _that_ kind of mood, Rhett noticed, so wound up that he was tapping double-time to the beat. It was the same mood he would be in right before a live performance, right before filming the show sometimes.

Rhett opened his mouth to speak again, but a cheer from the others cut him off. Eddie and Chase were attempting what Rhett could only guess was supposed to be twerking. They were failing miserably.

“You call that dancing?” Link yelled, looking comically outraged. “Look, put on somethin’ good, and I’ll show y’all dancing!”

Stevie, who had remained quiet up until now, held up her hand, the iPod in her palm. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ve got this.” She smiled wickedly and began to scroll before dramatically hitting play.

Even Rhett could recognize the opening notes.  _“Hot in, hot in, so hot in, hot in…”_

Link was already on his feet before Rhett could open his mouth. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!” Grinning like a kid at Christmas, he waggled his brows before doing the same with his hips. Behind him, Lizzie was being reduced to tears from laughing so hard.

Rhett knew he should be laughing, too –  _look at how ridiculous Link is being again, you guys_ – but he barely had the presence of mind to even speak. Instead, his phone was out again, poised to capture the moment.

He’d seen Link dance before, of course. They’d gone to enough fancy parties and VIP events that Rhett was familiar with all of Link’s go-to moves. He grew up watching Link tear up a dance floor, whether it be of his own initiative or that of the drink in his hand, and he’d grown familiar with the feeling of amusement and slight embarrassment that came with seeing Link move.

But this was something different. This was a feeling that had caught him off-guard a few times before, something he’d purposefully kept out of mind until now.

 _Things are degrading quickly_ _,_ he typed on his phone, trying to ignore the thrumming in the pit of his stomach. He watched as Link’s hips swayed right in front of him, the light of his phone illuminating his best friend as he moved to the music.

No, it definitely wasn’t the first time Rhett had felt this way about Link’s dancing. In fact, the episode of Good Mythical Morning where he had shown Link how to dance according to a scientific study he’d found had been written with ulterior motives. And afterwards, as he watched the footage back, it struck him. He saw himself blush under the all-seeing eye of their camera, the way his eyes darted as they tracked the fluid movement of Link’s body under those ridiculous disco lights.

What he saw, hidden beneath the surface, was something he couldn’t deny any longer.

The song eventually ended, and Link sat back down, grinning widely. His hair had fallen from its styled quiff, and his chest was heaving slightly as he caught his breath. He gave Rhett a smack on the arm.

“How was  _that_ for dancing?”

“That was…” Rhett started before trailing off, unsure of what to say next.

Oblivious, Link was beaming. “Thanks, man,” he said before turning away to speak to Eddie.

Another song began to play.  _DMX_ _,_ Rhett somehow knew, surprising himself.  _“Y’all gon’ make me lose my mind...”_

Lyrics hitting a little too close to home, he pocketed his phone and tried to talk to the others. But despite the interaction, all he could see was Link moving, Link dancing, Link driving away what remained of his calm demeanor with the simplest of moves.

When they finally piled out of the bus, Rhett’s ears were still ringing from the music, and Link was no less jittery.

“How much coffee did you drink before we left?” Rhett heard Lizzie ask his friend, as they joined the end of the admission line.

“One cup!” Link’s head was still bobbing to an inaudible beat. “I don’t need coffee when I’m _wired._ ” He fluttered his fingers at Rhett. “You all right, man?”

“What? Y-yeah.” Rhett snapped his gaze back to the front of the line. What was he supposed to do with these – whatever  _these_ were? He couldn’t imagine talking to Link about this, at least not here. Not ever.

As the line slowly moved forward, Rhett evaluated his options. This whole thing would need to be forgotten. Tonight’s event was full of industry peers, old friends, and possibly even a few enemies. It wouldn’t make a good impression if everyone remembered later that Rhett –  _you know, the freakishly tall guy, friends with the one in glasses_ – had spent the entire night staring dully into his drink.

He got out his phone again, ready for a new distraction, not quite seeing Casey and Lizzie heading in his direction with some glasses of wine in hand.

 

 

 _The open bar is an incredible thing_ , Rhett thought, as he downed his fourth drink, a piña colada from Casey, complete with a tiny paper umbrella that made Rhett feel like a real giant.

The crew had dispersed after the ceremony, the mood initially dampened by their loss. Link, however, didn’t seem too disappointed, much to Rhett’s surprise. It seemed his friend was determined to have himself a good time, having left him a little while earlier to mingle with the crowd. The last Rhett saw of Link, he was being introduced to some younger YouTubers, whose faces Rhett didn’t recognize if he was being honest.

In any case, he was grateful for his partner’s absence, the alcoholic buzz helping to quiet the thoughts spinning incessantly in his head. Determined, he shoved them back to the dark corners of his mind with one last gulp of his fruity beverage.

 _Who even came up with the concept of an open bar?_ Rhett made a mental note to Google it later; he almost wanted to find that person and thank them personally. It took a lot of alcohol to make him feel tipsy, so this right here was a rare occurrence. He’d have to make sure the crew kept their social media to themselves once they got back to work on Monday.

The night was passing Rhett by in a blur. He’d lost track of the drinks as they came and were finished, of the faces he saw and met for the first time, all of them wanting to talk about the business and his history in it. He couldn’t be sure he’d let any company secrets slip at this point, so fuzzy his head felt under the weight of the evening’s drinks.

Eventually, once the party had begun to settle down, Rhett found a chair at the edge of the fray and sank gratefully into it. Everyone else might as well have scattered to the four corners of the Earth. He hadn’t seen anyone from the crew in a while.

A firm hand on his shoulder made him flinch. Rhett looked up, ready to greet another new person, but the expression froze on his face.

“How you feelin’, brother?” Link asked, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

Rhett smiled in response, swaying. “Good.”

“How good?”

“ _Real good,_ ” he heard himself say, his voice low and gruff.

Link laughed a touch too coolly, his eyebrows lifting as Rhett’s tone registered. “Well, Stevie wanted me to find you. The bus is here.”

It took a few tries before Rhett could stand, the venue tilting dangerously around him, almost making him want to sit down again. He shut his eyes to it.

“You okay?” came Link’s voice beside him.

An arm snaked around Rhett’s waist, firm and comforting with its warmth. Rhett kept his eyes closed for a second longer, focusing on the contact. The image of Link dancing earlier flashed across his mind, and for a moment, he felt even weaker.

 

“Okay, we didn’t win, but it doesn’t matter because we’re gettin’ back on the party bus!”

Posting another snap for the Beasts, Rhett wobbled up the bus steps. If it was hard work, he couldn’t feel it, but he could sense Link behind him, hands held out precariously to spot him in case he fell.

Once they were safely inside, Rhett slid into the seat beside Link, who had since fallen silent. There was music playing again, quieter now and more soothing. The regular motion of the bus, combined with the heaviness of his head, made him feel drowsy, the excitement of the night catching up to him.

Something nestled against his shoulder: Link’s head.

“Tonight was fun, man,” he heard his friend murmur, voice soft enough to make Rhett start sweating again.

He hummed in response, the scent of Link’s shampoo wafting through the haziness. “It was.”

“What was your favorite part?” Link’s tone was peculiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.

“The drinks were good,” he answered mildly.

Link was fiddling with his ring now, turning it over in his fingers. “Anything el-”

“What was  _your_ favorite part?” Rhett shot back, sharper than he’d intended.

“Mmm...” Link was silent for a moment. “Dancing.”

 _Yeah_ , Rhett thought, closing his eyes.  _Mine, too_.

 

Back at the office, Rhett and Link said goodbye to the rest of the crew, who were borne away by Ubers and designated drivers. The two of them were left standing in the parking lot, the building’s floodlights silhouetting them both. Rhett let his eyes wander to Link beside him, who was frowning at his phone, glasses illuminated by the screen. He let his gaze linger for longer than usual, taking advantage of Link’s preoccupation.

“Did you find us an Uber yet?” Rhett asked. The prospect of sleep was fast overwhelming him, and despite the thoughts that he told himself he’d definitely deal with later, he just wanted to climb into bed next to Jessie and pass out for a good long time.

“I found one, but we’ll have to wait a few minutes,” Link grumbled. “Typical Saturday night, right?”

“Link.” Rhett’s heart was pounding, knowing he was on the precipice of  _something_. At the sound of his name, Link glanced over, eyebrows raised. _Stop waiting,_ Rhett thought sternly, giving himself over to the alcohol still circulating through his system. “You- tonight was…”

“Yeah, bo?”

His heart ached at the term of endearment, a wave of memories sweeping him away to those simpler times where it was just the two of them and their dreams.

“I think you’re really… I just-”

“It’s okay, Rhett. I know,” Link said, stepping closer and touching a finger to Rhett’s lips. “I know.”

Palms sweating, Rhett let out a shaky breath. “You do?”

“Yeah, man. It was obvious, the way you were looking at me earlier.”

He felt a heat creep across his cheeks, making him thankful for the shadows around them. “Oh, gosh. I’m sorry, Link.”

“No, don’t be. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I feel the same.” Link swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked away for a moment. “I think I learned something about... about myself tonight.”

“Tell me, Link.”

“I,” Link hesitated, his voice a mere caress of a whisper, the weight of his stare pinning Rhett where he stood. “I think…”

“Yeah?”

The smallest of pauses, and then, “ _I think my butt gettin’ big_.”

Rhett blinked hard, realization dawning on him, as a pair of headlights swept across the parking lot, briefly revealing the devilish grin on Link’s face. He was still trying to form a response as Link practically skipped to the car, lunging for the door to usher Rhett inside.

Things had degraded quickly indeed.

“You’re a jerk,” Rhett managed, feeling a chill shoot up his arm at Link’s touch.

“I’m a jerk who can  _dance_ ,” Link corrected him, eyes shining, a slight blush to his cheeks. Then his eyes softened. “And maybe later I could show you some other moves…?”

“Sure, Link,” Rhett answered, marveling at the sudden shyness on his partner’s face. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please direct all letters of "omg you guys wrote that so fast!" to our Tumblrs (via the same usernames) because, don't worry, _we know_. 
> 
> ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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